“It was horrible”: Couple stranded at Tampa International says they were not warned about cancellation

TAMPA, Florida (WFLA) – For the second time in weeks, a major airline is trying to get back on track after canceling hundreds of flights.

American Airlines canceled more than 1,800 flights this weekend, and those issues continued through Monday.

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“It was extremely stressful; it was horrible, “said Keith and Mary Ehmann of their experience at Tampa International Airport on Sunday.

They said they spent 11 hours at the airport on Sunday to get home and would have to return on Monday to try again.

“I never got an email,” said Keith Ehmann. “We just got here and learned that our flight to Charlotte has been canceled.”

At Tampa International, 25 American airlines’ flights were canceled and eight were delayed on Sunday. On Monday morning, two flights were canceled and several were delayed.

American Airlines said windy conditions in Texas started a chain reaction of delays and staff shortages had come into play, similar to the problems that hit Southwest a few weeks ago.

“People were screaming,” said Keith Ehmann. “They were very combative. The manager had to be called, which did nothing, but a manager had to be called multiple times, not at us but other people yelling and screaming. It wasn’t pleasant here.

The Ehmanns had to pay a hotel for Sunday evening and hoped that the airlines would refund them the full amount.

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Instead of Charlotte, the Ehmanns flew to Philadelphia and made it home on Monday afternoon.

After wasting time and money, Ehmann said the airlines should plan accordingly.

“Cut down on your flights,” said Keith Ehmann. “Cut down on the staff you have to manage your flights. They took our money. Now we have to try to get a hotel refund. “

American Airlines announced that it will be hiring more pilots and reservations staff for the holidays.

“In the case of American Airlines, a lot of them paid lots of people to leave last year,” said Nexstar travel expert Seth Kaplan. “They couldn’t fire many people for the money they took from the federal government, but they could incentivize people to retire early. They did, and now they are here with a shortage of staff. Now these airlines are competing for the same people as any other company. “

Kaplan said traveling during the busy holiday season could have the same headache.

“Unfortunately I don’t think you can rule this out in relation to booking another airline because what we’re seeing here is it showing up on one airline and last month we might have thought I wasn’t going to book Southwest. “he said.” I’ll book American. Well, that wouldn’t have helped you now. “

Kaplan recommends flexibility when booking vacation travel this season.

“If you’re trying to schedule Thanksgiving so that you get to the airport just a few hours before dinner starts, we see that things haven’t been as reliable as usual lately, so you might just want to walk a little.” more leeway in your own schedule, ”he said.

Kaplan has provided these tips if your flights are canceled:

• Be proactive and tell the airline how flexible you are. If your flight to Fort Lauderdale is canceled, airlines these days are pretty good at finding you the next available seat to Fort Lauderdale. But maybe the next vacant place is after Miami or West Palm Beach. If so, inform the airline. They won’t accept that.
• Pack lightly and avoid luggage: This way, not only can you save money on most airlines, but sometimes when a last minute option becomes available – ex. Rerouting a bag takes time, and they may only be willing to run you to the flight if they don’t have to deal with a checked bag.
• Queuing, but also calling: If you are at the airport and have to wait in a long line after your flight is canceled to speak to an agent about alternative plans, stand in line but call the airline from your cell phone at the same time. Especially if your flight is canceled, you are likely to be competing with everyone else on your flight for only a few remaining seats on another flight. Call centers are busy, but if you can get an agent on the phone before you get to the front of the line, you may be able to get one of the few remaining seats before someone else does.
• Looking for a “later but now earlier flight:” Check to see if there is a later flight to your destination (or a nearby destination) that is now departing before your departure – in other words, your 1:00 p.m. flight is delayed until 4:00 p.m., but the 3:00 p.m. flight is delayed : 00 o’clock is on time. In this case, ask the airline to rebook you on the other flight if there are still seats available. They often don’t do that automatically. If the gate for the other flight is nearby, go to that gate and ask the agents there instead of waiting in line at the “problematic” gate.
• Before you fly to the airport, download the app of the airline you are flying: Some airline apps offer good self-help options. And make sure the airline has all of your contact details so they can contact you – by phone call, text message, or email – to let you know if something went wrong with your flight. The sooner you can start alternative plans, the more likely it is that you will get one of those precious few vacancies.
• Keep a hard copy of your flight information: Technology is usually great. But if something goes wrong, it can go very wrong and you may no longer be able to access your flight records electronically (e.g. in the app) as easily as usual. It’s unlikely, but in case that happens you’ll want to go to a ticket office with a printout of your plans.

To check the status of a flight arriving or departing from Tampa International Airport, click here.

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The post “It was horrible”: Couple stranded at Tampa International says they were not warned about cancellation first appeared on Daily Florida Press.

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